-Yesterday's Winners:
Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS)

-Fading Fast: America's Next Top Model (CW)

-Yesterday's Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Hank (ABC), The Middle (ABC), Eastwick (ABC), The Jay Leno Show (NBC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS led the Wednesday overnight troops, beating second-place NBC by a healthy 60 percent. Third overall was Fox, followed by ABC and distant The CW.

CBS finished first overall in the 8 p.m. hour care of its combination of The New Adventures of Old Christine (#1: 4.4 rating/7 share) and compatible Gary Unmarried (#2: 4.3/ 7). The two sitcoms, in fact, beat ABC's competing Hank (#4: 3.6/ 6) and The Middle (#4: 3.7/ 6), which were both series lows, by an average of 19 percent in the overnights. But the Wednesday 8 p.m. hour remains one of the least competitive in all of prime-time.

Also airing from 8-9 p.m. was NBC's consistent, albeit non-spectacular Mercy (#2: 4.3/ 7), Fox's So You Think You Can Dance (#3: 4.2/ 7), which will win the time period among adults 18-49, and fading America's Next Top Model on The CW (2.4/ 4), which year-to-year was down by a significant 29 percent (3.4/ 6 on Oct. 22, 2008 to 2.4/ 4).

The Wednesday 8-9 p.m. overnights in a nutshell:

ABC
Hank – 8 p.m.: 3.6/ 6 (#4)
The Middle – 8:30 p.m.: 3.7/ 6 (#4)

CBS
The New Adventures of Old Christine – 8 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#1)
Gary Unmarried – 8:30 p.m.: 4.3/ 7 (#2)

NBC
Mercy: 4.3/ 7 (#2)

Fox
So You Think You Can Dance: 4.2/ 7 (#3)

CW
America's Next Top Model: 2.4/ 4 (#5)

At 9 p.m., CBS' underrated Criminal Minds stood well above the competition in the overnights, with an 8.8/14. Comparably, that beat NBC's second-place Law & Order: SVU (5.7/ 9) by a hefty 54 percent. Battling out for third in the time period in the metered markets were ABC comedies Modern Family (#3: 4.9/ 8) and Cougar Town (#4: 4.2/ 7), which were both series lows, and Fox's consistent Glee (#4: 4.4/ 7). But Modern Family, Cougar Town and Glee are all expected to be on the map among adults 18-49. Here are the updated metered market tracks for Modern Family and Cougar Town:

Modern Family (ABC)
9/23/09: 7.8/12
9/30/09: 5.8/ 9
10/06/09: 5.1/ 8
10/13/09: 5.4/ 8
10/20/09: 4.9/ 8

Cougar Town (ABC)
9/23/09: 6.8/10
9/30/09: 5.5/ 9
10/06/09: 4.7/ 7
10/13/09: 4.8/ 8
10/20/09: 4.2/ 7

Capping off the 9 p.m. hour was a repeat of The CW's Melrose Place with a mere 0.7/ 1. For more on Melrose Place, see TV Tidbits below.

Leading the 10 p.m. hour in the overnights, of course, was CBS' CSI: NY, this week with an 8.5/14. Next was NBC's The Jay Leno Show (3.6/ 6), one of the rare evenings it did not finish third, followed by ABC's failing Eastwick at a series-low 3.1/ 5. The next time a network decides to spin a series off from a movie over 20 years old, don't do it. There was absolutely no need for Eastwick.

Wednesday 10/21/09

HH
Rtg/Shr
CBS 7.2/12 NBC 4.5/ 7
Fox 4.2/ 7
ABC 3.8/ 6
CW 1.5/ 2

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-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, October 22, 2008):
NBC: +10, CBS: - 9, ABC: -19, CW: -44, Fox: -54

Note: Fox aired game one of The World Series on the year-ago evening.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

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